The stress of never becoming a graduate is something that is not easy for a student to overcome. Indeed, being a student is very exciting and colorful, there are many new things that you can learn after leaving high school.
But don't get the wrong perception, behind all this excitement you often experience stress which can make you dizzy.
Busy college activities, lots of assignments, sudden quizzes, or other campus dramas can make anyone feel stressed.
According to Hardjana in her book entitled "Stress Without Distress: The Art of Managing Stress", there are two stress factors including personal factors and situations.
Personal factors come from motivation, personality and spirituality, while situational factors relate to life demands.
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Stress can cause physical side effects such as difficulty concentrating, irritability, lethargy, decreased appetite, weakened immune system, and difficulty sleeping.
Basically, stress has become a natural part of life. However, too much stress can also harm our health, you know.
Moreover, if it continues every day, it can cause serious problems with physical and mental health. But don't worry, this article will discuss in detail the causes of stress and how to deal with stress in a relaxed student style.
Causes of Stress Among Students
There have been many studies in various countries which show that stress levels among university students tend to be high.
The results of research conducted by Neti Hernawati stated that 62.7% of respondents experienced high levels of stress.
This research involved student respondents in the men's and women's dormitories at the IPB Darmaga Campus. There are many main factors that cause stress among students, including:
1 . Stacking Tasks
The cause of stress that is often complained about among students is piling up assignments. Not to mention the busy study schedule, it is not surprising that stress has become a loyal companion for most students.
In some cases, the dense lecture curriculum and the large number of assignments from lecturers can make students feel overwhelmed.
Students often have to face tight deadlines to work on many assignments at once, such as individual assignments, group projects, presentations, and exams.
This is what causes students not to have enough time to complete everything well. In fact, there are many students who set high standards regarding grades and achievements for themselves.
These overly high expectations can result in excessive stress and fear of failure. As a result, they will spend more time and energy to get high scores and compete with their friends.
In the end, they experience emotional stress which has an impact on students' mental well-being.
2 Economic Problems
Economic problems are a heavy burden for students, especially for those who have to work to pay for their studies.
Apart from that, there are still costs for books, lecture materials, and daily living costs that can make students feel financially burdened.
Many students feel the need to work part time during college to overcome these problems. However, working part-time can take up time that would otherwise be spent studying and participating in academic activities.
As a result, there is tension between academic and work demands, which can cause students to become exhausted and lead to stress.
Life in the city is also full of temptations, often invited to hang out and go for walks, even though finances are tight.
The pocket money that was originally meant to be used to enjoy life, instead becomes a payment for the bills that are piling up.
3. Poor family and friend relationships
Who said being a student means you can be free and independent? There are times when relationships with family become a factor that triggers stress.
Starting from excessive expectations, differences of opinion, to family economic problems which can ruin your mood when you hear about it.
Apart from relationships with family, friends can also be a serious cause of stress. We definitely have close friends who we should be able to confide in, exchange ideas, and get the best solution.
However, if you don't choose the right friend to confide in, it can ruin your mood and increase your stress.
4. Search for identity and life goals
College is often a time to think hard about what you really want to do in life in the future. In the transition phase to the world of college, students often experience internal conflict in finding their identity and life goals.
The search for identity and purpose in life is a very complex journey for students, and frankly no one says finding identity is easy. Uncertainty, social pressure, and comparison with peers can cause significant stress.
It feels like undergoing a tough exam every day, because what is sought is not only about passion in academic matters.
Feeling left behind from friends who already have clear goals in life, then trapped between other people's expectations and our own confusion.
This is where questions arise like "What do I actually want to be?" or "What is the purpose of doing all this?".
However, this is all a normal part of every student's journey, so you don't need to panic too much and feel confused or stressed, because you haven't found the answer to that question.
Maybe you will never fully find your "perfect" identity or life purpose, but the important thing to do is keep moving forward and learn from experience.
Effective Ways to Overcome Stress in Students
After knowing what causes stress in students, here are ways to overcome it.
1. Learn Time Management
Life as a student is often filled with many demands, especially if you are a student who actively participates in organizational activities.
Apart from academics, you will have many other responsibilities which sometimes make it difficult for you to manage your time.
Learning time management can be very helpful in managing time well and effectively, thereby preventing stress.
The first step in learning time management is to make a daily or weekly plan, which can be adjusted according to your needs.
You can make a list of all the tasks or work that must be completed, sort them by deadline and level of urgency.
This is very helpful to know the priority scale of each task and which one is better to complete first. Apart from being more organized, in the end planning like this will help you avoid tasks piling up.
The next step, you can take advantage of the technology around you such as cellphones. There are many applications that can remind you to do tasks according to plans that have been made previously. Do this method with discipline every day so that you have good time management skills.
2. Complete easy tasks first
When there are many tasks to complete, it is better to do the easier ones first. If you do a difficult task first, you will get tired more easily and ultimately choose to rest.
Doing easy tasks first will make you feel more confident and reduce the burden on your mind. You will also have more time and energy to focus on difficult tasks later.
Apart from prioritizing tasks, time allocation for completing each task also needs to be implemented. This will help you stay focused and prevent you from getting stuck for too long on an otherwise simple task.
3. Get enough sleep
One of the impacts of stress on students is difficulty sleeping. But in fact, sleep has a big impact on health, especially when experiencing stress.
When you feel tired and stressed, sleep is a natural way to restore your energy. After getting enough sleep, you will feel fresher and ready to do tasks or work.
Sleep is the time when the body and brain will rest, and recharge energy that has been wasted. Getting enough sleep can keep brain function optimal.
In other words, you can focus more when studying or doing assignments, without feeling difficult. It would be better if you get quality sleep, so your body will feel fresher when you wake up. You can follow the steps below to get quality sleep.
The first step, set a bedtime and wake up at the same time every day. The second step, avoid playing on your cellphone before bed.
Also make sure your bed is comfortable and dark, because light can interfere with the quality of your sleep. The final step, do relaxation before bed, such as reading a book, listening to music, or light meditation. By following these steps, you will definitely get quality sleep and reduce stress.
4. Do a hobby or fun activity
Stress can come at any time, but you have the option to get rid of it by doing a hobby or activity you like.
For those of you who are still confused or haven't found a suitable hobby, don't worry. The first thing you have to do is find your passion.
What activities can make you lose track of time? Is it playing music, writing short stories, sports, or maybe farming?
So, after knowing the answer, you can take the time to do these activities. Never be afraid to try new things outside the academic environment, who knows, maybe you might have hidden talents.
The important point is that these activities make you happy, comfortable and able to overcome stress. When you have found the right hobby, it's better to relax and do your new hobby instead of getting dizzy because of stress.
5. Don't be afraid to ask friends for help
Something that is often overlooked when experiencing stress is contacting friends. Just expressing your feelings and pressure can make you feel relieved.
Good friends will listen attentively and provide solutions. You can also ask questions to get different points of view, sometimes the results of discussions with friends can be a solution to a problem. Besides talking about problems, schedule time to have fun with your friends.
Even light activities, such as hanging out, watching a movie, or exercising together, can help you relieve stress and increase your enthusiasm.
So, don't be shy anymore to ask for help from friends when experiencing stress.
Small Habits to Avoid Stress
There are many small habits that you need to implement so that you don't experience stress often. Starting from the simplest things, for example, once you get a task, if it can be done today, do it today.
Even though the deadline for the assignment is still long, start working on it from now on so that you don't end up with assignments piling up later or assignments that need to be completed overnight.
You can also start exercising regularly, when you exercise you will release endorphins or "happy" hormones, which can help improve your mood and reduce stress.
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